


Practice Makes Perfect

by Kitaa



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Suicide, Swearing, bad jokes featuring lawnmowers, mentions of overtime, shameless fluff, they're both hopeless honestly, trans female Grell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-25
Updated: 2017-11-25
Packaged: 2019-02-06 18:26:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12823437
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitaa/pseuds/Kitaa
Summary: The Dispatch office decides to boost morale in a way that only management could think of.





	Practice Makes Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> *Shows up years late to the fandom, bearing rarepairs*

Five reports, seven requisition forms, and three requests for expenses to be covered from petty cash. Ronald sighed. His stack of paperwork wasn't getting any smaller, and it was late enough that he wasn't sure he'd be able to finish by six.

He certainly wasn't going to get everything done if Grell kept pestering him.

"Read over this for me, Ronnie, and tell me if it's utter drivel or merely awful," she demanded, waving papers at him.

"I don't want to. I've got my own work to worry about."

"But I need to make sure it's bad enough that William will reprimand me for it!"

"I don't care."

"You're awful, Ronnie," she pouted. "After everything I've done for you."

"Last week you got me in trouble because you ran off chasing that demon again," Ronald grumbled. "If that's the sort of favor you're gonna do for me, I should put in for reassignment."

"Don't be like that. We have fun together out in the field, don't we?"

"Do we?" he asked, pointedly. His idea of fun wasn't running around trying to do double work because Grell was off doing who-knows-what. Even when she was focused, it was hard to make sure she didn't cause extra casualties.

" _Ronnie_! How could you say that? You're breaking my poor, fragile heart!" Grell placed a hand over her heart dramatically, and collapsed noisily onto her desk.

In truth, he didn't _hate_ working with Grell. But some days he wondered what it would be like to have a partner who actually cared about doing their job. "Okay, okay. We have a great time, you slack off and I clean up after you. It's a blast."

His voice was flat, completely unenthused, but Grell pretended not to notice. "That's much better. Anyway, I hope William _hates_ this report. I worked very hard on it."

William was, to put it nicely, a very serious man, devoted to his work and his position. Less nicely, he was a tyrant, often barely able to contain his temper when his subordinates didn't perform as well as he expected them to.

Ronald preferred to avoid that temper whenever possible. He was a good worker: he usually showed up on time, and he liked to leave on time, so he was careful to be as efficient as possible. When he was off the clock he was his own man, but in the office, he at least _tried_ to be professional.

Which is more than he could say for Grell. She _adored_ it when William got angry, and often deliberately antagonized him. Him, and that demon who'd been lurking around.

In Ronald's completely unbiased opinion, she had terrible taste in men.

" _Mister Knox_." William's door was all the way across the office, but his voice was loud and unmistakable. As usual, he sounded irritated.

"Wonderful. Speak of the devil." He stood up with an exaggerated sigh, tossing his report haphazardly at the desk. There was no reason he needed to see William. Field missions had been going smoothly, his work had been turned in on time. It had better not be something extra. Additional responsibilities at work were something Ronald avoided at all costs. All he wanted to do was get his work done and go home.

"Have fun!"

* * *

 

"You wanted to see me, boss?"

"Ah yes, Mister Knox. Please sit down."

He flopped unceremoniously into the chair across from William's desk. It was uncomfortable, surely by design. William never left anything to chance, if he could help it.

"What's up?"

"I see that you and Miss Sutcliffe were out in the field two days ago."

"Yep." Ronald stifled the urge to roll his eyes. Was he really stuck in here, wasting time, because William wanted to talk about a perfectly routine collection?

"And she behaved herself?"

"About as well as she ever does, yeah."

"Nothing unusual happened?"

"No. It all went by the book. Five souls to collect, five souls collected. Nice and tidy. I'll have the report done today, if you let me get back out there so I can work on it." He attempted to stand up, but the business end of a pair of pruning shears was suddenly at his chest.

"Sit back down, Mister Knox."

"Alright. What _else_ can I do for you?" he asked, eyes narrowed.

William cleared his throat as he put his death scythe away. "I also wanted to commend you on the quality of your work lately. It has been superb."

"Okay, thanks."

"Orders have come down that, to help improve morale, we are supposed to reward high performers."

"Improve morale?" Ronald laughed. "You gotta be kidding. This is a punishment, isn't it? What do they care about morale?"

"There has been some worry that as news of the deserter spreads, that others might begin to feel dissatisfied with their jobs. And the office is already woefully understaffed."He adjusted his glasses and stared directly at Ronald, daring him to express a desire to leave.

Ronald shrugged, tucking his hands behind his head. "Well, whatever. You don't have to worry about me. Going rogue's too much trouble."

"Good. But nevertheless, I have been instructed to reward the best reapers in each department with dinner."

"Dinner? I mean, what, you give me some money and I promise to go eat?" Extra cash was always welcome. He could take out that new girl in HR, get a little more leverage for his vacation requests. There was a new pub he'd been wanting to try, too. Two birds with one stone, it'd be a great night.

"No. We have reservations at eight pm. I will arrive at your residence at seven thirty, sharp. Do I make myself clear?"

Ronald's daydream burst. "What?"

"We are going to dinner. You and I. Tonight."

Ronald grimaced. That was exactly the opposite of what he wanted. "No offense, but I don't think you want to be stuck with me any more than I want to be stuck with you."

William stared back at him, completely unamused. "Neither of us have any choice in the matter, Mister Knox. Seven thirty pm. _Sharp_. You are dismissed."

"Great. Fantastic. See you then."

Head down, feet dragging, he walked back to his desk like a man walking death row. This was terrible. Not only was he going to have to cancel his plans for the evening, he was going to have to spend his time attempting to make small talk with the Ice King himself.

Why was he so damned good at his job? That'd teach him.

He flung himself into his chair so forcefully that it spun around twice before slowing to a halt. "Some days I really hate this job."

"Isn't that the point, Ronnie? Just what did our darling boss do to you that's so awful?"

Ronald put on his best pout, just to make sure she didn't misunderstand. "I have to have dinner with him."

" _What_?" she shrieked, voice so high that it cracked.

"I don't _want_ to! It's just some recognition garbage for reapers who perform well."

"That's so unfair! _I'm_ a good worker!" She blew her nose theatrically, tossing the tissue onto the floor.

"No, you aren't. You just got done bragging about how you wrote a crappy report on purpose!"

"I _could_ be, if I wanted to! If I'd have known I could go to dinner with him!"

Ronald wasn't sure if his sudden headache was from thinking about the impending dinner, or from having to deal with Grell. Regardless, it didn't bode well for the rest of the evening. "It's gonna be awful."

"Ronald Arbuthnott Knox.You're _so_ unappreciative of how lucky you are. It's a crime."

"That's not my middle name."

Grell ignored him. "I need complete details, down to the _shoelace_ , of what he's wearing. And how he's done his hair, and absolutely every single word he says, and what sort of tone he says them in, and--"

He shook his head. "I'm not doing that."

" _Ronnie_! I thought we were friends!"

"That doesn't mean I'm taking notes on how he talks! That's weird and creepy!"

"Fine," she huffed. "But I still want to hear all about it tomorrow."

"Yeah, yeah."

* * *

 

The only good thing about the dinner was that William let him leave on time to go home and get ready.

So he had a good hour to stare into his closet. What should he wear? It must be a decently nice restaurant, to take reservations. But at the same time, if the Dispatch was paying for it, it couldn't be _that_ nice.

Whatever. It's not like he wanted to impress _William_. His only worry was running into someone he knew. He needed to make sure he looked like a man under duress. Someone in dire need of rescue. Heck, maybe if he played it up enough, some cute stranger would take pity on him. Maybe he could salvage this after all.

He settled on something in a warm tan; similar to his work clothes but cut slightly more casually. It hadn't been anywhere near as expensive, either. Couldn't have anyone thinking he'd dressed up for the occasion. Especially not William.

The instant his watch ticked over to seven thirty, a knock sounded at the door. It was uncanny.

Ronald opened the door, frowning. "You been standing out there, waiting, just to make a point?"

"No. Some of us simply have a highly developed sense of time."

"Right."

William was still in his work clothes, and for an instant, Ronald felt like an idiot for actually putting thought into his dress. "You didn't even change?"

"Really? You didn't even change?"

"I came straight from the office."

"Of course you did." He grabbed his coat. "Well, whatever. Let's go. The sooner we start this thing, the sooner we'll get it over with."

"I couldn't agree more."

* * *

 

The restaurant was nothing fancy, but the food was decent. At least Ronald was pretty sure the food was decent. It was hard to enjoy it over his suffering.

Of all the stupid ideas, sending people to dinner with the straitlaced William as some form of _reward_ had to be one of the stupidest. This felt far more like a punishment.

They'd been seated for twenty minutes now, and the only conversation they'd managed to have was about the weather. Ronald seriously considered, for the first time in his career as a reaper, throwing his glasses away and living on the run.

He mustered what small amount of energy he had left and attempted to break the silence, again. "So, you been having fun with these dinners?"

"I couldn't possibly say. It's still very early in the night."

Ronald tilted his head, confused. "What about the other ones?"

"I haven't had any others yet. This is the first."

"What? Why _me_?"

It was a rhetorical question at best, an expression of shocked dismay at worst, but William answered anyway. "We have worked together numerous times, and you report directly to me in the office. I would say that, of all the candidates, you are the most familiar."

"Yeah?"

"Yes. I get along better with you, Mister Knox, than I do with most others." He stated it matter-of-factly, as if nothing could have been more obvious.

It was almost flattering. And it made Ronald feel a little bit guilty. Maybe he should put a little more effort into this ordeal, and not just stare at his food waiting for it to disappear. "I guess I never thought about it that way," he admitted. "But could you at least stop calling me Mister Knox like we're still at work, then? It's way too stuffy."

"Then what should I call you?"

"Seriously? Just call me Ronald. Ron. Ronnie. Whatever you want."

"Very well. Ronald it is." He paused for a moment, lost in thought. "I suppose you can also address me by my given name."

That was something Ronald hadn't expected. Even though he called him Will when talking to other reapers, he wouldn't have dreamed of saying it to his face.

"Thanks, Will," he grinned, already feeling some of the tension drain out of the atmosphere.

William nodded back at him as the hint of a smile crossed his face. "I can't remember the last time anyone called me that. At least no one other than Miss Sutcliffe, who remains far too casual, despite my admonishments."

"Oh, sorry. William?"

"Will is fine. We are, as you said, not in the office."

"Okay. So, Will. You ever eaten here before?"

"No. It's pleasant enough, but I'm afraid it's being rather tainted by the fact that I have been forced here."

"You can say that again. Guess you're not really into this sort of thing, either, huh?"

"I am not. When I do go out, I usually dine alone."

Ronald looked up at him, shocked. That sounded even worse than having dinner with your boss. "You go out to eat by yourself?"

"Yes. It's quite relaxing."

"You don't have many friends, do you?"

"That is a very blunt question, Ronald."

It was. He asked another one. "Don't you get lonely?"

"Loneliness is the fate of those of us who are responsible for others. I must remain impartial and efficient."

Ronald frowned, "I couldn't do it, not like that. I mean, sure, the actual reaping, you gotta stay cool... But all the time? No way."

William shrugged. "I'm used to it."

"Will, do you even hear yourself? You really need to lighten up."

"I think you have a rather darker view of my life than I do. I assure you, it's not as wearisome as you seem to believe it is."

"Okay, I'll bite. What do you do when you're not at work, then?"

He wasn't expecting anything like a real answer, but he got one, nonetheless. "I don't have much free time, as you know, but when I have an evening alone, I often read, and if I'm feeling especially adventurous, I cook."

"Yeah? It's hard to picture you puttering around in a kitchen."

"Is it?"

"Mmhmm," Ronald nodded. "But maybe it's because I can't cook to save my life."

"It is a very valuable skill to have, and can be quite relaxing."

"If you say so. Me, I don't think burning down my own kitchen would be very relaxing at _all_."

William smiled, a genuine smile that even reached his eyes. "Indeed. The trick, of course, is to not set anything on fire except what you _intend_ to."

"I suppose it is," Ronald laughed. William smiling, joking? He wasn't sure he'd believe it if he wasn't seeing it. "I'll keep that in mind if I ever want to whip up a stew or something."

"Please do. Just don't attempt it in the office."

"Aww, but that's what I wanted to do tomorrow. Build a campfire on my desk and go to town."

"Would it surprise you to know that Forensics burnt down two entire rooms of evidence doing almost that exact thing?"

" _What_?"

William nodded. "They were in the middle of an important experiment, from what I understand, and none of them were willing to leave to get food. So they thought they would cook their own. It did not go well."

"Oh my _god_."

"Needless to say, upper management was not pleased."

"I've got friends in Forensics, and none of them ever told me about _that_..."

A quiet, triumphant smile crossed William's face. "Oh?"

"You weren't supposed to talk about it either, I bet." Ronald looked over at him, his expression curious.

"I wasn't _forbidden_ from mentioning it."

"That's... not quite the same thing."

"No, it isn't."

"Go figure. I always thought you were a stickler for the rules."

"Naturally, I wouldn't dream of defying the Dispatch in any way. But a great many things that people assume are codified in the rules and bylaws, simply aren't."

A slow grin broke out across Ronald's face. "You sneaky little shit. I suppose somebody who knows that stuff as well as you do can find all sorts of loopholes, huh?"

"I have had a great deal of practice over the years, yes. Much of it was gained from keeping people like your partner out of trouble."

Ronald leaned back in his chair and stared at William, appraisingly. "Go figure. You know, you're not half bad, Will."

"Quite the compliment. I'm flattered."

"Don't let it go to your head," he grinned back. "I can't have you horning in on my reputation as the charmer of the office."

William blinked, his cheeks turning pink, clearly startled. "Charming? I certainly wasn't--"

He was cut off by Ronald's delighted laughter, "Oh, you might be good at it, Will! I could teach you a few things."

"I... I don't think that will be necessary."William jabbed at his food, and Ronald let the subject drop.

They ate quietly for a while. The food, now that Ronald could actually taste it, really was good. And even the silence wasn't as awkward as it had been before.

The rest of the evening passed quickly. Ronald felt, to his surprise, that all in all, it had been a success.

* * *

 

The moment Ronald arrived atwork the next morning, he was summoned to William's office.

"Hey, boss."

"Hello, Mister Knox."

Were they back to that already? "Ronald."

"We are at work, Mister Knox," William reminded him.

"Oh, yeah.So, what can I do for you, Mister Spears?" He said it deliberately, with a wide grin.

William raised an eyebrow. It was hard to tell if he was amused or not. He tapped his pen against a thick stack of folders and scowled. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind assisting me with something."

"Depends. What kind of something are we talking about?"

"It has to do with the dinners. You're an outgoing person. You know most of the people around the Dispatch, don't you?"

"I sure do!"

"If I were to provide you with a list of names, would you be able to tell me..." His voice trailed off and his scowl deepened. "This is embarrassing to ask. As a supervisor, I should know my subordinates better. But since I don't, I would like you to help me learn more about these particular reapers. So that I have something to talk with them about over dinner."

Ronald stifled his surprised laugh. It was amazing that William had swallowed enough of his pride to even ask, the least he could do was take the request seriously. "Yeah, that's no problem."

"Thank you. You are a valuable resource where the thoughts of the other members of the office are concerned. And we've already established something of a rapport."

"A rapport," Ronald grinned. "Nice. We're like one-tenth of the way to being friends."

William's face was perfectly blank.

Ronald ignored it, and hopped up to sit on the edge of William's desk. He slung one leg over a knee and grabbed the stack of folders before William could protest. "Let's see, who've we got... Oh, Maryanne, she's a sweetheart! And Scott? Really? You're gonna have a rough time with him, no matter what."

"Mister Knox--"

"Just reading your list of names, boss."

"Get off my desk."

Ronald winked at him, "Nah. Look, this way we can both see the files. It's _efficient_!"

"I do not wish to be reminded of your indelicate behavior whenever I look at my desk."

"Oh, you'd be lucky to think of my cute butt whenever you look at this boring old thing."

William slammed his hand down on the desktop, knocking over a stack of papers. " _Ronald_!"

Ronald grinned triumphantly. All he wanted was for William to act like he had last night, call him by his name and not hide behind his wall of formality."Hiya, Will."

William scowled at him, eyebrow twitching.

"I know, I _know_. We're at _work_. But the door's shut and we have this _rapport_. It'd be a terrible thing to waste."

"I do not appreciate being mocked."

"I'm not! I'm actually genuinely happy that you asked me for help! Because you really need it. You're a decent guy in there, Will, but you _gotta_ drop that wall sometimes."

" _Ronald_ \--"

"What?"

"Don't sit on the desk."

"Aw, I'm just having fun with you," Ronald sighed. He scooted off the desk, and instead stood beside William's chair, hovering over his shoulder. "Is this better?"

"Much. Thank you."

"All right. Let's get to work." He picked up one of the files, flipping through it quickly. "So, I know Maryanne pretty well. She works down in Optometry, doing all the basic stuff. Fitting frames, doing repairs, all of that. But what she really wants is to work on _designing_ the glasses, so she's been busting her ass lately. Sweet girl, really devoted to the job. Not as much as you, of course. But I'd take her next, if I were you. You two can talk office politics and promotions all night. It'll give you a chance to lighten up, but not be too far out of your element."

William blinked, somewhat taken aback. "Ah, I see. That's... that's very helpful."

"See, Will? Sometimes being friendly pays off."

The shadow of a smile flickered across William's face. "Indeed."

"Anyway, I should get back out there. Grell's just dying to hear all about dinner. She's liable to come in here and torture it out of me if I don't tell her soon."

"She _can_ be very insistent."

"She sure can. Let me know how it goes tonight, all right?"

"I will. And... Thank you, Ronald."

"Hey, no problem. Anything for a fellow sharer of rapport." He waved cheerily as he headed back to his desk.

* * *

 

The next morning, he was called into the office again. And the next. Each time, Ronald gave William advice on his upcoming dinner. He seemed to be putting the information to good use; word around the office was that being forced to spend an evening with William T. Spears wasn't nearly as horrible as expected.

When they'd finally gone over the last candidate, Ronald was a little bit sad. It had been fun, helping William, but now that the dinners were finished, they had no real reason to talk.

So he was surprised when, first thing the next morning, he was called into the office yet again.

"Good morning, Ronald."

"Hey, Will. What's up?"

"I wanted to thank you again for your help. It's been a difficult few weeks, but your assistance has been invaluable."

"You're welcome." He plopped into the uncomfortable chair and grinned, "I'm glad to have been of service. Told you I could help you be more charming, didn't I?"

William went quiet for a moment, shuffling papers around on his desk. "I was also wondering... Well, if you might like to have dinner again. This time, I ask not out of obligation, but gratitude."

Ronald tried to hide his shock. "What?"

"Only if you'd like. I understand if you'd rather not."

"No, that sounds great. I'm surprised, though. I thought you preferred to eat alone."

"It is not in my nature to let a favor go unrepaid."

"Well, all right, if you insist. Let me pick the place this time, though. You're probably sick to death of that restaurant."

"It is beginning to weigh heavily on my mind as well as my stomach, yes."

"Great. I know a pub near here. It's cheap, and the food's good. We can go right after work if you want."

William nodded. "I should be able to finish on time tonight."

"Then it's a date!" Ronald bounced out of the chair and towards the door. "See you then!"

He was gone too quickly to notice the growing blush on William's face.

* * *

 

They met up outside the office just after six. William in his long, black coat, and Ronald making do with his suit jacket, for the sake of fashion. It was chilly, but the walk was a short one.

William didn't offer any conversation, so Ronald ambled along beside him, whistling merrily.

"Your choice of music is interesting," William finally said, with a slight laugh.

"What, you got something against Wagner?"

"I do not. But I suspect you may be having a bit of a joke, choosing that particular piece."

"Maybe I just like 'Ride of the Valkyries'," Ronald retorted, grinning.

"Please don't tell me that you fancy your death scythe to be some sort of flying horse."

"Okay, I won't tell you. It'll be my little secret, forever and ever."

"Honestly," William huffed, his voice more amused than annoyed. "The way you scoot around on it through the office, I wouldn't be surprised."

"She's multi-purpose, state-of-the-art, and sharp as anything," Ronald beamed, "No reason not to get as much use out of the little beauty as I can."

They entered the pub, and Ronald led William to a quiet table towards the back, where it wouldn't get crowded until far later in the evening.

"I still can't believe you got that approved."

"Don't be jealous. If you've got any ideas, I can pull a few strings, get yours reworked too. I got connections."

"I am a simple man, with simple tastes. I would never be so frivolous." William glanced meaningfully at Ronald's watch, peeking out from under his cuff.

"Aw, you think I'm all flash and no substance, don't you?" Ronald pouted, half joking.

William fell quiet.

"Not even a token protest?That's cold, Will."

"I was considering my response. Up until very recently, yes, I did think of you as somewhat foolish. Far too concerned with material things. Empty-headed, and--"

He no longer had to feign injury. "Wow. Okay. I get it."

"At any rate, I no longer believe that to be the case."

Ronald raised his eyebrows and looked over at him, expectantly.

No more praise was forthcoming.

"All right. Well. That kind of hurts, Will. But I guess I'm glad you don't think I'm worthless anymore."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"Nope. I mean, up until recently, I thought you were a frigid, heartless bastard who kept his pruner shoved right up his ass most of the time. But now I don't."

William frowned. "I see. I _should_ have phrased it better. I am very thankful for your help, Ronald. And I appreciate the insight that you've provided. I have come to trust your judgment quite a bit."

"That's better."

"In fact, I..." he paused and frowned down at the table, suddenly unwilling to meet Ronald's eyes. "I have one more thing I would like your help with."

Was it the dim lighting in the pub, or was William actually blushing? "Go ahead."

"I have a... personal issue."

Ronald gasped, loudly. No wonder he was so awkward all of a sudden. This was unexpected, and potentially very interesting new territory. " _You_ do?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, fire away, I'm all ears." Ronald rested his chin on his hand, waiting eagerly for William to begin.

William sighed and stared into the distance, mustering his courage. When he finally spoke, it was to the table. "I believe that I may have started to... this is very embarrassing to admit... develop feelings for someone."

Ronald's eyes widened. _That_ certainly wasn't what he'd been expecting. A twinge of something – excitement? worry?--flickered through him. Whatever it was, he swallowed it as best he could. "You've got a crush on somebody?"

"Yes. I... I suppose I do."

In one swift motion, Ronald leaned across the table and grabbed one of William's hands. "Good for you, Will. It'll do you good to get out more. Something to focus on besides work. Did some cute secretary catch your eye during a dinner?"

"Something like that."

"You're probably mortified, aren't you? Mister All Business, coming down with a case of emotions." Ronald laughed, but his voice was kind. "It's okay. You're only human. Well. Not _technically_ , I guess."

"No, not technically at all."

"So, who is it? I promise I won't tell anybody. Not even Grell."

William's face was bright red. "I'd rather not say."

"Aww, come on. What kind of person does the stoic William T. Spears prefer? They're gonna have to be super cute, to get your attention. Hmm, and it's gotta be somebody from the list... Oh! Is it Julia?"

"No."

"You tell me who it is and I'll do nothing but sing your praises whenever I see them. I got your back, Will. I'm a real good wingman, I swear."

William huffed, his face bright red. "I shouldn't have mentioned it. Please, let's talk about something else."

Ronald knew better than to pry when someone was so clearly uncomfortable. "All right. But when you decide to make your move and want some advice, you be sure to come ask your buddy Ron."

"We'll see."

He grinned and stood up, patting William on the shoulder. "This calls for a beer. You got any preference?"

"Water."

"Aw, no, come on. We're celebrating, aren't we?"

"Very well. I will have whatever you're having."

Ronald laughed, "You're not a big drinker, are you?"

"I am not."

"I'll get you something mild. You have what I'm getting and you're likely to pass out before the food's done."

"You're not planning on getting drunk, are you?"

"Nah. Just I hold my alcohol better than you probably do. Anyway, I'll be right back. Don't have too much fun without me!"

When Ronald returned, William was writing notes on a memo pad. His handwriting was tiny and precise, and filled up over half the sheet of paper. It was so small that Ronald couldn't make out any of it.

"What're you doing?"

"Work."

Ronald set William's pint glass heavily in front of him and sighed, "Will. That's the opposite of what you're supposed to be doing."

Folding the memo into his pocket, William frowned. "There's nothing wrong with multitasking. Besides, you had left."

They'd been having a good time, hadn't they? But apparently William never stopped thinking about the office. "You need some downtime! Everybody needs downtime!"

William shrugged, and took a small sip of his beer. He wrinkled his nose. "Do people really drink this, by _choice_?"

Ronald wasn't about to let him off the hook. "Come on, Will. When you ask your mystery reaper out on a date, you're not gonna do paperwork at them all night, are you? Think of this as practice."

"I _really_ should not have mentioned that."

"No, it's fine! It's great, actually, I'm glad we can talk like that. We're friends, after all."

"I don't need friends. What I _do_ need is to concentrate on my duties." His voice was cold, but quiet.

In the amount of time it'd taken to go get two pints, William had retreated back into his shell. It felt like they were back to square one, after weeks of development. Ronald stared at him,disappointed."What are you so afraid of, Will?" he asked, softly.

"Nothing--"

"Liar."

"Nothing _you_ would understand."

And there it was. No matter what William might have said, no matter what praise he might have given, that was what he really thought. That Ronald was empty, somehow, intellectually or emotionally, incapable of empathy. He narrowed his eyes, his voice growing harsh. "Yeah? And why do you think that?"

"You're a good worker. But you clearly see the job as secondary to your enjoyment of this odd second life of ours."

"And why shouldn't I?"

"Because this is a _punishment_ , not a second chance," William retorted.

Ronald shrugged. "I don't see why it can't be both. I do my time, don't I? If it was supposed to be non-stop dreariness, we wouldn't get time off at all."

"You shouldn't second-guess--"

"You're second-guessing it, too! You're so sure that it's supposed to be awful, but nobody's said that, it's not written down anywhere! Is it anywhere in those precious rules and bylaws of yours that says a reaper's life has to be terrible?" Ronald's voice had risen and was now almost a shout.

William hushed him, glancing around to see if anyone had heard. " _Ronald_! We are in public!"

Ronald took a long drink of his beer and grimaced. "I don't care. Answer me. Where is it written down that we have to suffer every second of every day?"

"It's not."

"Then maybe you're some sort of masochist, I don't know. But me, I had enough of life being awful before I even _got_ here."

Every reaper knew why they'd been assigned the job. It was one of the first things they were taught when they arrived at the Dispatch. They were there because they'd thrown away their own lives. But it wasn't something that they talked about. There was nothing quite as personal to a reaper as the memories of their human life. Nothing they kept private as much as the details of their deaths.

"We shouldn't be discussing this."

"Why not? You think I'm some air-headed slut, flitting around the office because I've never had a care in the world. You act like nobody could possibly understand whatever your hangup is. For fuck's sake, Will. There isn't a single goddamn one of us that doesn't understand hangups. Desperation. Loneliness. Loss. Whatever you got, I can find you a whole bunch of reapers who know _exactly_ what it feels like."

"I--"

"Or do you think that one day, I woke up, and went, 'Oh shit. You know what would be a _blast_ to do today? Kill myself!'"

William had never given much thought as to why _anyone_ ended up at the Dispatch. In his own experience, life had been difficult and unpleasant. Surely the others felt the same. The specifics weren't important. "Of course not, but--"

"Let me tell you a story. You might be pretty familiar with the way it goes, but I want you to listen anyway. Once upon a time, there was this kid. He worked his ass off, did everything he was told to do, day and night. Never a thought for himself. Worked and worked and worked and worked. And guess what? All anybody did was tell him to work harder. Longer. Until one day, he decided that if that was all there was to life, if that sick, hollow feeling was the only thing he was ever gonna feel, then it wasn't worth it."

His voice was steady, and calm. Detached. He could have been talking about absolutely anyone. A cinematic record he'd seen, a file he'd read in the archives. The story of a stranger.

But somehow, William was certain that Ronald wasn't speaking about just anyone.

"There's a value in doing your job well, Will. But it's not the only thing in the world that's worth doing. I learned that a long time ago. The hard way."

It was an intimacy William hadn't asked for, and one that he was uncertain how to address. He knew his face was burning and his heart was racing. This was precisely why he didn't get involved with people. It always got to a point that was overwhelming, and he didn't know how to respond. This wasn't an acceptable topic of conversation, at all. It was awkward and uncomfortable, and easily the worst interaction he'd had in a very long time.

He glared into his glass, still unable to put his tangle of emotions into words.

Ronald was watching him, his face carefully blank. When he spoke, the edge had drained from his voice, replaced by something quiet and sad. "I'm worried about you. If I thought you really were a heartless machine, I wouldn't say anything. But I've gotten to know you, and you're not. You're really good at your job. You're serious, and dedicated. And that's great. But the way you're going, you're gonna snap. I'm sure a ton of people in the office would tell you that, if they could. But I'm also sure that I'm the only one who's going to look you in the eye and say it to your face. You can't just bottle everything up, forever."

William clung to the word _can't_ , a lifeboat in a sea of uncertainty. "I can. And I will. Your concern is unnecessary, and unwanted. What I do with my life is my own business."

It was like William had reached over and slapped Ronald across the face. He'd opened up, shared personal details, tried to genuinely re-establish the connection that he knew they had. Only to be met with a brick wall of denial.

"What the hell, Will?"

This was familiar territory, and William took it gladly. "Emotions are superfluous to our existence."

"They might be a pain in the ass when it comes to the _job_ , but the job isn't everything. I don't understand why you're being so damn stubborn about this."

William snorted, "You're shouting again. Any point you may have is completely lost in the fact that you're a hotheaded, selfish--"

" _Selfish_? At least I'm not a stuffy, overbearing _asshole_!"

"Ah, vulgarity, the last resort of the small-minded."

"Oh, fuck _off_ , Will. I'm done with this." Ronald stood up abruptly and strode to the bar. He dumped a handful of cash onto the counter, and pointed over to the table where William sat.

And then he left.

He walked down the street, grumbling to himself. "Stupid. Completely stupid. That's what I get for trying to help somebody like _him_. And now I'm going to have to deal with him being even more of a jackass at work. _Stupid_."

Passersby gave him a wide berth; a lone man, muttering and fuming, was better avoided. And for once in his life, Ronald was glad to be left alone.

* * *

 

He was late to work the next morning.

"Don't even ask," he warned Grell, flinging himself into his desk chair.

"Didn't go well?"

"I said don't ask."

"William's been storming around since early this morning. Did you two have a little lover's quarrel?"

Ronald glared over at her, his expression dangerous.

"Ooh, Ronnie. Keep that up and I might get a little crush on you, too."

"Can we skip that stuff today, please? I'm really not in the mood."

Grell looked at him, sighing. "What happened? It's not like you to be so sour. I thought you two were getting along."

"I did too!"

"The course of true love never did run smooth."

"I _said_ stop it, Grell. I'm not in the mood for your jokes."

"Jokes? Ronnie, you've given the man so much of your precious time, how could I think anything else?"

His face got hot and he wrinkled his nose in disdain. "It's not like that. I was just trying to help."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends."

"Aww. That's sweet."

"Or I thought were, at least. I dunno now." Ronald prodded at his waiting paperwork and frowned. "He was acting a little bit weird, but he actually talked about stuff. Said he had a crush on somebody in the office. And I was just trying to help, tell him it was okay if he relaxed a little bit, and he freaked out."

"Oh, does he, now? _That's_ new information." Grell glanced over at William's door, a knowing smile on her face.

"Ah, shit. I wasn't supposed to tell you. Don't tell him I said anything, or he'll be even more angry."

Grell rested her hand on her chin and grinned. "Your secret is safe with me, Ronnie. It's just interesting. I wonder who the lucky reaper is?"

"Doesn't matter. Nobody's gonna want to go on a date with _him_."

She raised an eyebrow at him but said nothing.

"Ugh. I bet he's gonna call me into the office to yell at me some more."

But he didn't get called into the office.

In fact, if Grell hadn't insisted that she'd seen William go into his office and slam the door, Ronald would have believed it was empty.The silence was terrible. He couldn't concentrate, and kept flipping through his ledger. Any field assignment would be better than this. Even a massacre, or a flash flood. He'd gladly take overtime just to get out of the office.

"Come on, somebody just die already..."

Nothing appeared. He fell back onto his desk and groaned.

Grell stood up and patted his head, surprisingly kindly. "I'll go talk to him."

"I don't need you making it worse."

"Ronnie, Ronnie, Ronnie. Give your partner a little credit, would you? I've known our dear Will for quite some time. And I _am_ capable of tact, you know."

" _Are_ you?"

"You wound me," Grell grinned, waving at him as she headed towards William's office.

When she reached it, she shoved the door open without knocking.

William didn't even look up from his paperwork. "I'm busy."

"Perpetually," she agreed, sitting down anyway.

"That means, Miss Sutcliffe, that I wish to be left alone."

"Yes, I'm quite aware."

William glared up at her, and she grinned, all teeth. After a moment, his shoulders sagged in defeat. "Very well. Get it over with."

"Our little puppy is brooding, Will. I've been lead to believe you two had a tiff last night, and he's taking it rather hard."

"Mister Knox can consider it a much needed lesson in minding his own business. He had the gall to start telling me details of his life – his actual, human life!" William's face contorted in disgust at the memory.

Grell gasped. "He did _what_?"

"You heard me."

"William Thackeray Spears--"

"That is not my middle name."

"No, it's Thickheaded, isn't it? At least that's how you're behaving."

"No one asked you."

She leaned over his desk, glaring at him over the top of her glasses. "No, no one asked me. But I work with Ronnie far, far more than you do. He is a very private person. I've seen him flirt with nearly everyone in the office, and a great number of people outside of it, but he very rarely talks about himself. Not to them, not to me, not to anyone. For him to have brought up something like _that_... And then to have you _yell_ at him? No wonder he looks miserable."

William met her glare with equal intensity. "He was out of line."

"Was he? You've been asking him for a lot of help, lately. You've been treating him like a friend. Why wouldn't he think that it was all right to do the unthinkable and actually open up to you in return?"

William's scowl deepened. The last thing he needed was to hear Grell's voice echoing the thoughts that had been haunting him since last night. "Get out of my office."

Grell stood up, grinning. "You both seem rather invested in this, don't you? Perhaps you should think about that for a bit, and tell Ronald what conclusions you've drawn. Toodles!"

And with that, she was gone.

* * *

 

"Good news, Ronnie!"

"Did he die?"

"No, silly boy. I think he's ready to apologize. You should go talk to him."

Ronald wasn't enthused about the prospect. "I don't wanna talk to him. He's a jerk."

"Just go. It's almost six, you'll have the perfect excuse to leave if you want to."

"Fine," Ronald sighed. He was too tired from his day of worrying to argue.

He shuffled across the office to William's door as slowly as he possibly could. When he got there, he knocked quietly. Maybe William wouldn't hear him.

"Come in."

Of course he wasn't that lucky.

He entered, standing sulkily by the door.

"Sit down please, Mister Knox. We have important matters to discuss."

A sudden, unshakable fear assaulted Ronald. He'd angered the wrong person, and now he was going to pay for it. "I'm getting transferred out, aren't I?"

" _What_? Goodness, no."

"Oh," he answered, sounding even more distressed. With a heavy sigh, he took off his glasses and set them on William's desk. "Here you go, then. Guess I'll see you around. Sort of. Can't really see very well."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm getting let go, aren't I?"

"Why would I--" William paused and started over, voice softer. "Ronald. No. Put your glasses back on. It was an argument, outside of work. Why would you get fired for that?"

"Dunno." Ronald stared at his shoes. William watched him, silently, for what seemed like the better part of eternity.

Finally he cleared his throat. "My behavior last night was unacceptable."

One of Ronald's eyebrows twitched, but he didn't respond.

"As such, I owe you an apology. I'm sorry. I... I became somewhat distressed. We were speaking of things that implied a level of familiarity that, frankly, I have made it a point to avoid."

Ronald shrugged halfheartedly. "Yeah, I guess we're not that close. I should've just kept my mouth shut."

"No, I started it. I should have simply explained myself, instead of shutting down and getting angry."

"I shouldn't have yelled either. I'm sorry, too."

Ronald gazed at the carpet, wishing fervently that reapers could die so that he could hope to spontaneously combust on the spot. William fussed with the papers on his desk, also clearly uncomfortable. For a while, the only sounds were the flipping of pages, and quiet breathing.

It was hard to believe that this time yesterday, he and William were joking with each other. And now it'd crumbled down to _this_.

Finally Ronald spoke up, "I feel stupid. I didn't mean to be out of line last night, I just thought... I guess I thought we'd gotten pretty used to each other."

William bit his lip. As much as his instincts were screaming at him to disengage, to abort the conversation, he couldn't simply shut down again. Ronald deserved better than that, he deserved an explanation. He took a deep breath, and spoke slowly. "I understand that now. That's part of what I wanted to tell you. Ronald, I... Well, it's very obvious that I'm not particularly good with emotional matters. I'm sorry."

Silence fell across the office again.

Ronald flopped into the chair with a heavy sigh. "I guess I should explain myself, too. I like people. It's fun to talk and flirt and hang out. But I don't get real close to anybody. Because then things get complicated. And complicated isn't fun. So... I'm not really good with that stuff, either."

William nodded. "I understand. Thank you for making the effort for me."

"Sure. You too."

A slight smile appeared on William's face. "It occurs to me that perhaps just because something is difficult doesn't mean it should be avoided."

Ronald glanced up at him. "Huh?"

"We could try again, if you wanted." William offered, quietly. "Go somewhere, and have dinner. Actually eat, instead of argue. I still owe you a proper thank you, as well as an apology."

"You don't have to. I'm fine."

"I'd... I'd like to." His face was red and he'd stopped making eye contact, but he sounded earnest.

Ronald was sure he was blushing, too, and he wasn't sure why. "Okay. I mean, if you're sure."

"I am." William stood up, and pulled his coat off the rack. "It's a few minutes before six, but I believe cutting out early once in a while won't leave too great a stain on our records."

"Wait, you mean right _now_?" Ronald stared up at him from the chair, shocked.

"I do."

Ronald grinned suddenly, and bounced out of the chair. He made a show of scratching his head as he glanced around the office. "Hey, Grell, it's not funny anymore. What'd you do with the real Will?"

"I deserve that."

"Yeah you do," Ronald laughed. "But I guess it really _is_ you. You must've finally cracked from the stress."

"I may very well have."

They walked out of the office, both pointedly ignoring Grell's very obvious stares and wolf whistles.

When they got outside, William set off in the opposite direction of the pub they'd been to the night before. Of course he wouldn't want to go back there.

Ronald walked beside him, curious, but not quite willing to ask where they were headed. They walked in silence for blocks. Finally they approached a small park, and William headed inside.

"Are we having a picnic?"

"No," William answered, quietly. "I have something I need to speak with you about first. Something not fit for a place such as a restaurant."

The bottom dropped out of Ronald's stomach. How had he made him so angry? Nothing had happened, had it? They were just walking.

"Ronald." William looked and sounded extremely serious. The moonlight glinted off his glasses, hiding his eyes, which only heightened the effect.

"Y-yeah?"

"You may have a difficult time believing this. I have certainly had a difficult time coming to terms with it myself. But the fact remains that I have developed... something of an interest in you."

Ronald's eyes went wide. " _What_?"

"It is incredibly foolish, of course, as such things tend to be. But I feel it would be unwise not to mention to it to you. I would hope that it doesn't deter your friendship, and I swear not to behave any--"

"Wait, are you saying your crush is on _me_?" It was, as William had said, unbelievable. And yet Ronald realized he wasn't entirely surprised. William _had_ been reaching out to him a lot lately. Maybe that was the real reason. He felt his face get hot again and was very glad for the cover of darkness.

"Y-yes. That is what I just said.At any rate, I was hoping these feelings would abate on their own, but they have not."

Ronald stared, chewing his lip, trying to decide what to do. He didn't _dislike_ William, of course. They'd even had fun together. And he _had_ been willing to talk to him about some very personal things.

"I am aware that this might complicate our friendship, so I felt the best course of action would be to clear the air, and solicit your rejection, so that--"

And suddenly Ronald's mind was made up. "Woah, woah, woah. Solicit my _rejection_?"

William blinked. "Yes, of course. So I can--"

"Why do you assume I'd reject you?"

"Why on earth would I think otherwise?"William asked, brow furrowed.

Ronald sighed, loudly, exasperated. " _Will_. I know you hate it when things don't go as planned, but really? I know you're not _stupid_."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean."

"Look, Will. You're a mess. I'm a mess. Kinda goes with the territory, I guess. But as far as messes go, you're... you're not so bad. All right?"

"Excuse me?"

A surge of irritation came over Ronald and he leaned closer, staring right up into William's face. "I said you're not so bad, yourself. I've had fun hanging out with you."

"You have?"

"Yeah, I have. What are you going to do about it?" Ronald kept staring at him defiantly, heart racing.

It only took William a few seconds to make his decision. He reached over, and carefully placed his hand on Ronald's chin, tipping his head back slightly. Before Ronald could so much as blink, William's lips were pressed against his softly, tentatively. He tasted like coffee, and smelled like the office. It only lasted a moment, and then William pulled away, eyes full of questions.

Ronald stared back at him, now completely red from his neck to his ears. He should have been expecting that, but he hadn't been.

"My apologies," William said, quietly. "I got carried away."

Of all the emotions, all the possible reactions that were swirling inside Ronald's head, there was only one appropriate answer to that.

He laughed. "You don't kiss somebody and then apologize, Will."

"Ah. My mistake."

"It's all right. Just don't do it again. The apologizing, I mean."

William blinked at him.

"Yeah, Will, that means the kissing part was fine."

"Oh."

Ronald tilted his head sideways and smiled, "Is that it? Just oh?"

"I put a lot of thought into it, after I got home. How to apologize, and how to... tell you. And whether it would be all right if you said yes. I was certain you wouldn't, considering what an ass I'd made of my myself. But all the same, I couldn't help but consider it."

"And what did you decide, if I didn't say no?" Ronald asked, quietly.

This time William put a hand on either side of his face, and kissed him hard enough that he gasped in surprise. "That."

"I'm... I'm okay with that. You could do it again, even."

William smiled at him, face flushed. "I thought you were the expert, Mister Knox," he said playfully. "Shouldn't you be the one trying to impress me with your skills?"

Ronald grinned, "You asked for it." He bounced up on his toes and pulled William down smoothly, dipping him like they were performing some sort of elaborate dance. "Come here often, Mister Spears?"

William yelped, caught off guard. "Put me down!"

"In a minute. I'm busy sweeping you off your feet right now."

It was obvious that Ronald had far more experience kissing than William did. His mouth was soft but insistent, and William did his best to follow his lead, letting Ronald nip at his bottom lip, and then lightly at his tongue. William's stomach did fluttery little flips, and his brain felt like it had turned partially to fluff. Ronald was very, _very_ good.

William let out a tiny, breathless whimper of disappointment when Ronald finally pulled him back upright, a satisfied smirk on his face. "How was that?"

"Ah... It was... fine."

Ronald grinned triumphantly, "Thought so. Don't worry, Will. Practice makes perfect."

William wanted to huff, to say that if Ronald thought he was a bad kisser, he was welcome to take his mouth elsewhere. But he found himself smiling instead. "Indeed it does."


End file.
